


The greatest possession we have costs nothing (it’s known as love)

by Myulalie



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Background Helen Blackthorn/Aline Penhallow, Bad Pick-Up Lines, Blink and you'll miss it, Grocery Shopping, Grocery Store, M/M, Malec Discord Server Fic Crawl 2021, Meet-Cute, Pick-Up Lines, Romantic Fluff, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-03
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-16 10:22:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29823501
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Myulalie/pseuds/Myulalie
Summary: “You’re single?”Magnus nods at Alec’s cart when silence stretches between them. Alec peers at the plastic basket, and finally notices the broken heart stuck to the side, pink and so ostentatious it’s a wonder Alec didn’t notice it before.Alec is the (un)fortunate victim of the local grocery store's Valentine’s Day marketing.
Relationships: Alec Lightwood & Isabelle Lightwood, Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood
Comments: 40
Kudos: 119
Collections: Shadowhunters Fic Crawl 2021





	1. Single

**Author's Note:**

> They see me trolley-ing they hating ~  
>  **Title quote:** Brian Weiss.
> 
> This fic was written for the Malec Server’s fic crawl. As the work was anonymous until the day of the event, here is the updated version with my usual author notes! It’s a very late Valentine’s Day fic, hope you like it ♥ 
> 
> You can tweet me at **#myulalie**!

Alec hurries inside the store, fumbling for a basket cart while he scrolls up his messages with the other hand, looking for Isabelle’s text about the exact brand of tampons she needs. It’s just his luck, to have his sister visiting over the weekend and for her to get her periods right then, when she didn’t bring anything. 

She swears she didn’t expect her periods for another week, but Alec hates to see Isabelle in pain, and her cramps are giving her hell. He got pain killers from the drug store, already, and now he just needs to find the right aisle…

The store is mostly empty at this time of the evening, most people have already gone home after a long week, and the aisles are in order. A lonely employee, probably a student working to afford college, mops the ground in one corner of the store, music blasting from their headphones. Alec doesn’t pay them any attention, moving frantically to find what he’s looking for.

He nearly bumps into a young woman lingering in front of the pads, and reaches for the tampons with his phone in one hand. It seems to be the brand Isabelle wants, so he throws it in the basket cart and heads straight to the next aisle.

He’ll get a hot water bottle for his sister too, and buy chocolate. They’ve been on sale since the middle of January, in preparation for Valentine’s Day. Alec doesn’t care for the day, two weeks from now, and has no qualms about buying Isabelle her favorite when she’s stuck in bed and in pain. She’s going back to LA on sunday night, and they don’t see each other nearly often enough. He wants to make the most of it.

“Hm, excuse me? Tall, dark and handsome?” a voice calls behind him.

Alec turns around with a frown and glances around to find another man, holding bright pink scrub gloves. Rows of household products are aligned behind him, colorful brands that are no match for the stranger. Music plays in the shop, some pop song about unrequited love and hope. Isabelle would know the lyrics, Alec thinks distantly as he watches the stranger.

He’s quite the sight, from his make-up — bold eyeliner Alec has only ever seen on Izzy, and eyelashes so long they might be fake —, to his Victorian frock coat and the shimmering ascot around his neck. Silver rings and engraved cuff links shine on the man’s hands too.

“Yes? Can I help you?” Alec replies, resisting the urge to look around.

Anywhere else, Alec would assume the stranger is talking to someone else, but they’re alone in the aisle. It makes him uncomfortable and Alec lowers his hand, the screen of his phone fading to black while he stares at the other man. He finds his shoes surprisingly interesting, the combat boots dark and heavy over the linoleum floors of the store.

“You’re single?” the stranger says expectantly.

What? Alec is, but why would this man ask him this specific question? Alec doesn’t reply, fiddling with the zipper of his leather jacket as he tries to make sense of the question. This situation is surreal, and Alec digs his fingernails into the palm of his hand to make sure this is really happening.

The song playing on the speaker changes, and the stranger nods at Alec’s basket cart when silence stretches between them. Alec peers at the plastic basket, and finally notices the broken heart stuck to the side, pink and so ostentatious it’s a wonder Alec didn’t notice it before.

“No, I wasn’t paying attention,” Alec shakes his head. “Valentine’s Day marketing I assume?”

“Yeah, they have ‘single’ and ‘taken’ carts at the entrance.”

Alec glances at the stranger’s basket cart and indeed, there is the other half of a broken heart on the side. It’s ridiculous and sappy, and Alec makes a mental note to grab a ‘taken’ cart next time. He doesn’t want people bothering him during grocery shopping, the chore is annoying enough as it is.

Speaking of which, he told Isabelle he wouldn’t be out for long. Alec takes the hot water bottle he was going for initially, with a simple black cover because he loves Izzy, but Alec is going to use it more often than her now that he has one. The least he can do is choose a water bottle that suits his tastes.

“Tough luck,” the stranger speaks again. “I’m Magnus Bane, I live right around the corner.”

“Yeah, me too. I chose the area because the store was so close,” Alec smiles, introducing himself.

“Lightwood? Like the Lightwood practice?” Magnus perks up.

“Yeah, I work there with my parents. I’m the chiropractor.”

“Good to know,” the other man winks.

It’s not exactly unwelcome, because Magnus is gorgeous, but Alec is not used to this. He looks away, embarrassed with the obvious flirting going on there. Alec wishes he could reciprocate, but he doesn’t know how. Magnus sobers up at his reaction and shrugs, pushing a curling lock of hair out of his eyes.

“Oh well, have a lovely evening Alec. See you around!”

Magnus waves and goes around him to resume shopping, the bright pink gloves impossible to miss in his basket cart. He’s beautiful, not the kind of man Alec would feel confident chatting up. Maybe he should have taken the opportunity, Alec muses when they bump into each other again in the aisles.

He can’t help but glance at Magnus’ pert ass when the other man bends over to grab a specific flavor from the ice cream display fridge, and blushes at the indiscretion. Alec buys ice cream for Isabelle to give the impression that he has a good reason to be around, and heads towards the check-out line soon after.

He hurries across the street and up the stairs of his building, making a bee-line for Izzy as soon as he’s inside. His sister is curled up on the fold-out couch, hugging a fluffy quilt to her chest. The Notebook is playing on the TV, and Alec rolls his eyes at her, but Izzy ignores him. She snatches the tampons from him and makes her way towards the bathroom with a pitiful whine, clutching a change of clothes in her hands.

Alec shakes his head, a fond smile playing on his lips, and busies himself adjusting the cushions on the couch for when she comes back. The anthracite quilts she relinquished is Alec’s favorite too, because it’s warm and the color is soft, bright enough to make him feel comfortable, without feeling invasive. Alec likes his darker shades, and so does his sister.

The living room is minimalist, except for the TV and the sofa. There is a dinner table off to the side, and the door that leads to Alec’s bedroom, just as bare. His most prized possession is the compound bow hanging from the wall in front of his bed, and the medals on the bookshelf that faces the window.

He moves to the kitchen next — simple, functional, everything in shades of gray, Alec doesn’t even have an oven —, to heat the water for the bottle. He puts the ice cream in the freezer while he waits, and feels his cheeks heating up at the memory of Magnus Bane, bent over and wiggling to reach whatever he was looking for.

Why would a man like him hit on Alec at the store? Some people are desperate for a date on Valentine’s Day, or so Alec has heard, but Magnus can obviously get whomever he wants, anytime.

Alec is happy on his own. He struggles with the compromises of a relationship, and he hates making his partner suffer when he fails to open up to them. Really, Alec is better off alone, and Isabelle shares his philosophy. 

Isabelle is a top model, and he knows she enjoys her sex life, but it’s been a while since she has settled with someone. Since high school probably, when she broke up with her first love because Simon couldn’t make up his mind between her and another girl. Alec is friends with Maia, but this particular incident makes him uncomfortable, and he has learned to avoid getting both women in the same room.

“You got me chocolate?” Isabelle calls from the living room.

She’s smiling when he steps out of the kitchen, the pain killer must have kicked in. Alec’s sweats are too big for her, but she looks comfortable and it’s all that matters. Her long black hair is piled up on her head in a messy bun, and she took her make-up off while she was in the bathroom. Alec joins his sister on the couch and they settle to watch The Notebook, Alec with one arm around her, and Isabelle hugging the hot water bottle.

“Thanks,” his sister whispers in the dark.

He teases her to no end about the movie, and she pinches him when she runs out of arguments. Alec forgets about Magnus Bane for the time being, and even agrees to get the ice cream for Isabelle when she complains that she’s getting too hot with the water bottle. 

In all, a regular night in for the Lightwood siblings.


	2. Taken

Magnus strolls out of the office with a grimace, cracking his neck as the automatic doors slide shut behind him. Maybe he should make an appointment at the Lightwood practice, he needs it, and he wouldn’t be against seeing Alec again. He chastises himself for thinking such things, Alec made it painstakingly obvious that he wasn’t interested. He might even have someone already! Magnus can’t get hung up on a man he met at the supermarket.

Night has fallen already, and he crosses a pool of light on the pavement to move down the street. Speaking of the store, Magnus needs to pick up something for dinner tonight, his fridge is empty and he has already ordered take-out during the weekend. Being an attorney makes good money, but the diet would ruin Magnus’ efforts to keep in shape, so he’d rather not rely too much on food delivery, no matter how practical it is.

The store front is covered in red hearts and messages from the clients for their loved ones. Magnus himself scribbled a pick-up line on the window: “ _the greatest possession we have costs nothing, it’s known as love_ ”. It’s cheesy, and Magnus is proud of it. He could argue his case all day, but his boss pays him to work on his cases, unfortunately.

A love song is playing inside and Magnus hums along as he deliberately chooses the single cart, and smiles to the other patrons when they bump into each other in the aisles. There aren’t many single basket carts this time around, but Magnus doesn’t let it deter him. He loves to meet new people, and this is just a fun way to switch things up for once.

He doesn’t like Valentine’s Day much, if he’s honest. It makes single people feel lonelier than usual if they’re not happy alone, and couples spend money on flowers and chocolate they feel pressured to give each other. Magnus likes to express his love everyday, in a myriad of manners, and he knows some of it stems from his insecurities. 

He’s an overachiever, and February just adds on the constant pressure he feels when he’s dating someone. People either find him needy or over the top, and none of those make Magnus feel good in the relationship. Damn Camille and their three years together, Magnus hates that he has to remind himself not to give in to the nagging insecurities she left him with. It’s a work of everyday, and Magnus fears he’ll have to deal with those for the rest of his life.

He was carefree, before. Confident in his feelings and those of his partners, but not anymore.

It doesn’t matter. Magnus is single for Valentine’s Day, and has been for little more than a year now. Caught up in his musings, he almost misses Alec at the check-out line, where the student working part time is waiting for the manager to unlock the cash register. They must have made a mistake while scanning the items.

“Oh, hi,” Magnus greets the chiropractor.

Alec’s eyes light up with recognition and he gives a little wave in reply. He chose a taken basket cart this time — with a full pink heart —, Magnus notes with a touch of disappointment. He knows Alec was not paying attention last time, but Magnus hoped the other man was single and simply not interested in flirting in the supermarket. He’s not so sure anymore.

“Typical rookie mistake,” Magnus jokes to hide his dejection, nodding towards the cashier.

Alec grins at that and ducks his head, brown curls of hair falling over his eyes. He’s wearing the same clothes as last time, a leather jacket and a plain shirt, with the hem of his jeans tucked in his combat boots. If the other man hadn’t told Magnus about his job already, Magnus would have assumed Alec works for the police, and he can’t say the fantasy is unwelcome.

“Have you met some people with the carts?” Alec asks.

“Nothing concrete, turns out people are busy grocery shopping and don’t have time to chat.”

Magnus bites his lip when Alec snorts, and straightens a little because he can make the chiropractor laugh. He can take no for an answer, but Magnus can’t say he’s not slightly disappointed. He wonders, once again, if Alec is really taken, but doesn’t dare asking. Alec would have forwarded the information last time if he wanted to, so Magnus will take the hint and guess it’s none of his business.

“Am I right in assuming you didn’t write a love message on the window either?” Magnus asks.

He wants to face-palm for the misguided choice of a topic of conversation, but it would make his scheme of fishing for information obvious to the mostly oblivious Alec. Magnus has a reputation to uphold. Another love song starts on the loud speakers, and two women start chatting in the aisle closest to them, blushing as they glance at each other’s single carts.

“They write love messages? To whom?” Alec cranes his neck to glance at the store front.

Magnus chuckles at Alec’s skeptical pout, and plays with the cuff links of his burgundy suit, trying to repress a smile. He hears Alec scoffing, most likely catching sight of some of the personal messages and the second-hand embarrassment that comes with them. Magnus hopes it’s not his quote that elicited such a reaction, suddenly mortified.

“I love you my big lion, signed your doll? I guess it says a lot about them and their relationship,” Alec rolls his eyes as he reads aloud, and Magnus sighs in relief.

“No kink shaming,” the attorney teases, and gets an eyeful of bright red cheeks for his troubles.

He wonders how far down the blush goes, as it disappears beneath the collar of Alec’s shirt. The cashier finally resumes scanning the items and Alec lines up his groceries on the conveyor belt. Magnus grabs his own and adds them next as they move up the check-out line, nodding at the employee. Behind them, the women exchange numbers. Looks like someone was luckier than Magnus.

“Oh, there is a good one,” Alec suddenly speaks up. “The greatest possession we have costs nothing, it’s known as love. I like it. It’s true.”

Magnus preens at that, brushing a bleached strand of hair out of his eyes, and Alec gives him an odd look, understanding flashing in his hazel eyes — quite the breathtaking gaze, Magnus can’t help but notice —. The attorney bites his lip and fiddles with the ear cuff he put on that morning, refusing to comment. He doesn’t want to bug Alec since the other man is obviously not interested in flirting, but it warms Magnus’ heart to know that they agree.

“I see,” Alec breathes out, chuckling, and pays for his groceries.

The chiropractor gathers his bag and glances at Magnus before leaving, nodding once in farewell. Magnus winks in reply, wishing Alec a good night. It’s quite fun to watch the other man scurry outside, as though he can’t quite return the attorney’s flirting. 

It gives Magnus hope, even though he knows he shouldn’t hold onto fickle signs like this.

  


* * *

  


Alec catches sight of a familiar face when he walks past the supermarket on Valentine’s Day. It’s Magnus, strolling about with a single cart again to pick up what looks like chocolate, jewelry gleaming on his hands. The other man is wearing another of his fancy suits, purple this time, and it makes his legs look longer. 

Alec just got out of the practice and he’s headed home, but seeing Magnus again makes the chiropractor second-guess himself. He never gave Magnus a chance after all, and the other man was more than pleasant to be around the few times they bumped into each other.

He runs inside the shop before he can talk himself out of it, but skids to a stop in front of the carts. Alec hesitates, but another glance at the store front, covered in pick up lines and cheesy love declarations, is enough to strengthen Alec’s resolution. He grabs the taken cart as usual, and hurries across the aisles to find Magnus.

They meet in the middle of the supermarket, near the juice and syrup aisle, and Alec gives a bashful smile, ruffling his hair with one hand to hide his embarrassment. Magnus smiles back, shoving crackers in his cart, among other snacks and sweets. Yet another love song plays on the speakers, and the floor is covered in unflattering stains from broken bottles of some sort.

“Hey,” Alec breathes out, trying to relax his shoulders.

“Alec,” Magnus greets in turn. “We seem to run into each other a lot.”

“Yeah. I didn’t expect to see you here today.”

Magnus shrugs, battling his long eyelashes. He peers at Alec’s, not the least bit discreet about it, and Alec feels incredibly silly with his empty cart. Did he just run into a store because he saw Magnus inside? This is getting ridiculous.

“Still taken I see?” Magnus says.

It’s obvious he tries to appear unaffected, and Alec feels even worse. Magnus must think Alec is doing some last minute shopping for his significant other, especially in this particular aisle. Alec is very much single though, and he ran in for one specific reason.

“Actually, I thought we, hm, we could be taken. Together.”

He wants to hide his face in his hands as soon as he says it. It’s the worst pick-up line ever. Magnus doesn’t react at first, and Alec considers disappearing in another aisle to avoid making a fool of himself — more than he already did anyway — when the other man starts smiling. Soon, Magnus is full on beaming at him.

“I’d love that.”

“Cool. I want to huh, wine and dine you. Do it properly,” Alec stumbles through his words. “We could watch a movie together?”

“And share that chocolate,” Magnus adds, nodding frantically.

Alec immediately reaches for alcohol free wine from the nearest shelf, and chuckles at his own eagerness. Both of them look like fools now, but Alec can’t bring himself to regret it as they move towards the check-out line, together.

**Author's Note:**

>  **I take prompts!** Follow me [on tumblr](https://myulalie.tumblr.com/post/637141364802469888/string-of-pearls-and-prompts) and get in touch, my ask box is open ♥
> 
>  **On feedback:**  
>  “<3” as extra kudos are fine by me. Short comments give me just as much of an adrenaline rush as longer comments because my email notifications don’t discriminate! I give as long as I get (*coughs* read: I reply at length) so you decide if we’re having a quickie in the comments or if you’re taking me out on a date to have an actual conversation ;)
> 
>  _Constructive criticism is welcome_. Please bear in mind that while I will take it into account, I will not rewrite a story that has already been published. I’d rather incorporate relevant feedback (read: concrete examples and suggestions as to how to address the element in question) into a new work and write a different take on the same plot! Once again, I give as good as I get ;)
> 
>  _You are not, by any means, required to comment if you don’t want to_. I will publish every chapter of a complete story no matter the response to it. Find some more thoughts and tips on commenting [on my tumblr](https://myulalie.tumblr.com/tagged/commenting), I make moodboards for my fics too, if you want to follow me :D Happy reading ♥


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